Astros land Imai
Jan 7 2026
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Houston Astros
NEWS: Houston signed RHP Tatsuya Imai to a 3-year, $54M contract with opt-outs after each season.
IMPACT: High
BHQ SPIN: Houston continues to backfill its rotation in expectation of the departure of free agent Framber Valdez. We are projecting Imai for a 3.79 ERA and 1.37 WHIP, backed by a 24% K% and 11% BB%. Resetting on Houston’s rotation options now: Hunter Brown is the incumbent ace, with Imai and recently-acquired Mike Burrows slotting behind Brown. There are numerous candidates for the back end of the rotation, including Jason Alexander, Spencer Arrighetti, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr., AJ Blubaugh, and recently-signed Ryan Weiss. Reports indicate that the team will try to ease Imai’s...
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